FRANKLIN, KY. (WTVF) — Road diesel topping $6 a gallon in Middle Tennessee is hitting farmers hard — even during a strong harvest season.
Willis Jepson farms in Robertson County and Simpson County, Kentucky, where he is currently bringing in his corn crop. Five months ago, he was preparing to plant that same corn as fuel prices began climbing. Now, with the harvest underway, the financial toll of those higher costs is coming into focus.
"But it is what it is," Jepson said. "We have a really good corn crop this year, and it's ready to harvest. So we have to harvest it even if fuel is high."
A strong harvest helps offset some of the pressure — but it cannot cancel out the cost of producing the crop.
According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gas is up 16 cents from last week. In Tennessee, diesel is averaging more than $6.50 a gallon.
"That's tough when you're working all year knowing at the end of the year that you're going to be in the red," Jepson said. "We're hoping this year we won't be."
Fuel costs do not stop at the combine. They follow the crop through nearly every step, from the field to the market.
"We don't have control over the weather," Jepson said. "We don't have control over the commodity markets. Somebody tells us what we're going to pay for our diesel fuel, what we're going to pay for our fertilizer, and seed, chemicals, and equipment. And then somebody tells us what they're going to pay us for our crop after it's harvested. So we're price takers all the way around."
During harvest, the numbers add up fast.
"We've got about nine trucks on the road right now," Jepson said. "Two combines, two grain carts, you know, we burn up to 700, 800 gallons of fuel a day."
While farmers are exempt from the road tax on diesel used in farm equipment, Jepson says the price still cuts deep into the bottom line. The road diesel used to haul the corn in the tractor-trailers remains around $6 a gallon, and those higher transportation costs can follow the crop all the way from the field to the customer.
After watching costs stack up season after season, Jepson says part of the answer could be growing fuel closer to home.
"American farmers are in a position to grow homegrown fuel for American consumers so that we don't have to worry about these geopolitical shocks like we're experiencing today," Jepson said.
The corn that was being planted five months ago is now filling grain bins. Jepson calls it a successful harvest — but also a reminder that even when the crop comes through, the uncertainty does not end there.
This story was reported on-air by journalist Kelsey Gibbs and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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